Our team

Julie is the Chief Executive Officer of SHINE for Kids.

She is a results focused leader achieving better outcomes for children, young people, families and communities experiencing vulnerability.

Julie has significant experience in the community sector, predominantly in the areas of early intervention and prevention, domestic violence, and homelessness. She was previously the Chief Executive Officer at NSW Family Services Inc (Fams). Julie is a professionally certified Results Based AccountabilityTM practitioner, and wishes she had access to the framework principles a decade earlier than she did.

Julie has also worked in community legal centres, government legal roles and corporate accounting firms.

She maintains her legal practising certificate and has a Masters in Law (Human Rights and Social Justice). She has been a NSW Government-appointed member of the Housing Appeals Committee since 2010 and a Presiding Chair since July 2013.

Julianne is an experienced executive with over 20 years’ experience in events, business development, communications, fundraising and marketing in the government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.

As a long-term public servant in the NSW Government, she specialised in stakeholder engagement and consultation, whole of government strategic projects, and bringing complex innovative projects to fruition. Julianne was Director, Corporate Communications at the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC), and spent two years at Premier and Cabinet designing a sector-wide workplace giving initiative for NSW Government employees.

Julianne has held Board positions at Sydney Community Foundation, Australian Community Philanthropy, Sydney Pride Centre, and the Aurora Group and is a member of the Keeping Women Out of Prison (KWOOP) coalition.

Kim has a strong background in developing, implementing and evaluating programs for 15 years using an outcomes measurement framework. Starting in the early intervention space, working with children, young people and families in urban, regional and rural settings, Kim later moved into an operational role where she developed strategic plans, data collection tools, and continuous quality improvement processes to reflect outcomes-focused service delivery.

Before commencing with SHINE for Kids, Kim was a Capacity Building Consultant at Fams, a NSW peak body, and provided support to their members through building skills and knowledge in outcomes-based frameworks and systematic policy and advocacy.  Kim’s first role at SHINE for Kids will be to support the SHINE workforce in implementing their Outcomes Framework and to use data to inform decision-making.

Kim’s area of study is Sociology, applied in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities with a particular interest in evidence-informed practice, combining the ‘practice’ and ‘theory’ of working in communities.  She is a member of TASA (The Australian Sociological Association) and the applied sociology thematic group.

Barb Cohen is the Aboriginal Program Manager at SHINE for Kids and a very proud Dunghutti Woman from Kempsey NSW where she was born, raised and still lives today.

Throughout her 30-plus years working in the local community, Barb held positions with the Credit Union, Aboriginal Legal Service and Booroongen Djugun, and has been with SHINE for Kids since 2010.

Barb is passionate about the work she does and, having lived experience herself, is determined to support families and reduce intergenerational trauma so children can live in a safe and healthy environment.

Her team facilitates “Belonging to Family” (BTF), a unique and culturally appropriate program for Aboriginal Men and Women at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre.

Barb and her team have strong relationships with local government and non-government agencies and advocate for families in the justice system.

Barb was recognised for her invaluable contribution to the region at the Women of the Macleay Awards in 2013 and was AbSec’s NSW Aboriginal Child and Family Awards “Practitioner of the Year” in 2020. This award recognises an Aboriginal practitioner’s excellence in achieving positive outcomes for Aboriginal children, families and communities.

Moana Wati is the National Practice Manager for SHINE for Kids.

An action-orientated and solution-focused manager, Moana has a passion for leadership, government engagement and advocating for the rights of children and young people in the criminal justice system.

With 20 years of experience in Counselling and Psychological support, Moana specialises in Family Violence work and has facilitated Men Living Without Violence courses and Positive Parenting programs.

Moana has developed curriculum, trained teams and facilitated Early Intervention programs for community groups and across several school settings promoting self-esteem, building self-confidence and helping understand anger.

Moana is a strong Māori woman who has held board positions in the New Zealand community, tertiary education and budgeting services organisations.

Tanya Macfie is the Mentoring Manager at SHINE for Kids.

As Mentoring Manager, Tanya provides leadership and support to mentors and mentees across SHINE for Kids’ Youth Justice programs.

Tanya and the mentoring team offer opportunities for young people transitioning from custody in Youth Justice Centres into the community to participate in mentoring programs that provide positive role modelling and strengths based alternatives to their previous life choices.

In her previous roles as CALD Specialist Advocacy Worker with the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service and as SHINE For Kids’ Stand As One Mentoring Program Coordinator, Tanya built strong and effective working relationships with key community, government, legal and other support agencies.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Science/Social Welfare and has extensive experience in community services, child protection, mental health, domestic violence, crisis intervention and family work.

Tanya is committed to maximising the wellbeing of young people, individuals, families, groups and communities impacted by the criminal justice system. Her practice is informed by principles of social justice and respect for human dignity and human rights.

In 2020, Tanya was named as a finalist in the Westfields Local Hero Awards.

Jess is a proud Wakka Wakka woman who was born on Kalkadoon Country in Mount Isa and raised in Townsville on the lands of the Bindal and Wulgurukaba Peoples.

Jess gained management experience and valuable insights on the importance of the early years for children during her 15+ years of working in various roles across the early learning and education sectors.

When becoming a mother herself, Jess felt drawn to work in the community services sector to strengthen supports for families.

She has worked at SHINE for Kids in Townsville since 2020, working with many families over the years. She facilitates the ‘Stay Together Play Together’ playgroup and ‘Bringing Up Great Kids’ parenting program at the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre and also the Rise program, which supports children’s emotional and social well-being and encourages positive engagement with their school communities.

Jess is passionate about supporting the families we work with.  Jess also volunteers her time to help young people in her community through the sport of boxing, with great enjoyment in playing a part in the development of others and seeing young people achieve their goals.